The call beyond the personal universe || On Vivekachudamani (2018)

अत्यन्तवैराग्यवतः समाधिः समाहितस्यैव दृढप्रबोधः । प्रबुद्धतत्त्वस्य हि बन्धमुक्तिः मुक्तात्मनो नित्यसुखानुभूतिः ॥

atyantavairāgyavataḥ samādhiḥ samāhitasyaiva dṛḍhaprabodhaḥ prabuddhatattvasya hi bandhamuktiḥ muktātmano nityasukhānubhūtiḥ

For the extremely dispassionate man alone there is samādhi, and the man of samādhi alone gets steady realization, the man who has realized the Truth is alone free from bondage, and the free soul only experiences eternal bliss.

~ Verse 375

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Questioner (Q): This description appears like a ladder or series of steps towards bliss, starting from the bottom-most rung as the dispassionate man, then moving up to the man of samādhi, the realized man of Truth, the bondage-free soul, and then finally the eternal bliss. Please throw light on these steps.